These two Clemson Tigers remain among the best NFL draft prospects at their positions as the process enters the next stage.
With the Senior Bowl last week, the first significant stage of the NFL draft process came to an end. In a few weeks, 300 or more prospects will head to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine.
Every NFL team had scouts at the Senior Bowl and have no doubt revised their grades on prospective draft picks. The same goes for draft analysts like ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
The analyst re-ranked his Top 50 overall players and then provided positional rankings. While no Clemson Tigers were in the Top 50, there were two players that were at or near the top of their positional rankings.
Jake Briningstool was ranked No. 3 among the tight end and H-backs while Barrett Carter was ranked fifth among linebackers.
The next stage is the NFL scouting combine from Feb. 27-March 2. The final list of participants has not been announced but Briningstool and Carter are likely to receive invites.
The NFL Draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay.
Carter, who played four years for the Tigers, earned two all-America selections and finished with 254 career tackles, including 31.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 24 pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He was also a two-time all-ACC selection, making him the fifth linebacker to do that under coach Dabo Swinney.
Last season he had 82 tackles for the Tigers and was a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best linebacker.
Briningstool was also a four-year player for the Tigers and left the program as their all-time leader in receptions among tight ends with 127. He’s the fifth tight end in program history to earn multiple all-ACC awards.
Along with the 127 receptions, he also racked up 1,380 yards and 17 touchdowns. Last year he had 49 receptions for 530 yards and a career-high seven scores.
The Tigers are coming off a 10-4 season, one in which Clemson got back into the ACC championship game, where they beat SMU on last-second field goal. That win cleared the Tigers’ path back to the College Football Playoff, which expanded to 12 teams for the first time.
The Tigers are expected to return several of their top offensive players from a season ago, led by Cade Klubnik, who had the best season of his collegiate career and fashioned himself into a Heisman Trophy candidate for the 2025 season.
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